August 2018

A Message From Our President
Two weeks ago I was enjoying a casual dinner with Dr. Jim Webb at the annual SENG conference in San Diego, laughing  under the summer stars. It's hard to convey how much of a shock it was to hear that he had suddenly passed away, only a week after seeing him so vibrant and his usual playful self. It has been a real pleasure getting to know Jim over the past couple of years. He was a truly remarkable person - the spiritual leader of many in the gifted community, and the kindest, most welcoming soul I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Jim Webb founded SENGifted.org, wrote some of the most important books in the field, started the "Misdiagnosis and Missed Diagnosis" initiative, and was extremely generous with his time, speaking often at conferences and in various communities - including a west coast tour last spring that included several stops in our area. Jim's work dramatically increased the awareness and support of the emotional needs of gifted individuals - and his legacy invites each of us to carry on and do our part in continuing this vital mission. Rest in peace, Jim. You made this world a better place, and I was honored to know you.

This fall, we are super excited to help Art of Problem Solving get settled in their brand new Bellevue digs. Art of Problem Solving provides one of the best curriculums for advanced math students, grades 2 through high school. They focus on deep, challenging problem solving so that kids learn persistence and perseverance, as well as learning great math. Their online programs (aops.com, beastacademy,com, alcumus) are terrific, but having in-person options in Bellevue will be an even richer resource for that region. 

We are thrilled to announce that Richard Rusczyk, founder of Art of Problem Solving, will give two presentations in October - in Woodinville and on Bainbridge Island. If you haven't heard Richard speak before, you are in for a real treat, and his message is both soberingly insightful and supremely practical, whether your kids are in elementary school or high school - public, private, or homeschool. Highly recommended.

Hope you are enjoying the end of summer!

Austina De Bonte,
President NWGCA

Upcoming Learning Opportunities
NWGCA Fall Event with Richard Rusczyk
Problem Solving: Key to a 21st Century Education and a Rewarding Career
Presented by Richard Rusczyk, Founder of Art of Problem Solving (aops.com)
Tuesday, October 16
7:15 PM - 9:00 PM
Brightwater Community Center, Woodinville, WA
Register Today ($20, bring a friend for only $5 more)

Wednesday, October 17
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Bainbridge Island School District Board Room
9530 NE High School Road, Bainbridge Island, WA
Free event
The rote memorization of facts is an insufficient means of educating the youth of today. Instead, problem-solving skills enable students to use the information they've learned in infinitely useful ways. Jobs that involve repetitive procedures are becoming increasingly automated. There is a growing need for those who can solve non-routine problems. The memorizer can only solve problems he has encountered already, but the problem solver can solve problems she's never seen before, and above all, she can create.

Art of Problem Solving Founder, Richard Rusczyk, will talk about the importance of a problem-solving based math curriculum in today's educational climate. Parents and educators will find Richard's message to be wise and insightful, as well as full of practical tips for how to access math curriculums that build students' problem solving muscles, from elementary through high school.

Richard Rusczyk has authored 7 textbooks and was past Director of the USA Mathematical Talent Search. He was a participant in National MATHCOUNTS, a three-time participant in the Math Olympiad Summer Program, and a USA Mathematical Olympiad winner (1989). He received the World Federation of National Mathematics Competitions Paul Erdös Award in 2014. He graduated from Princeton University in 1993. At AoPS, Richard gets to pursue his life's passion, educating motivated students.

Heads up in Olympia!
Susan Daniels will be speaking at Nova School in Olympia on October 11 at 7pm. Her talk title is "Visual Learning and Gifted Students: A Different Way of Being Bright." Her new book "Visual Learning and Teaching: An Essential Guide for Educators K-8," published by Free Spirit Publishing, will be available in September and is available for preorder now on Amazon. More details will be in our next newsletter.

WAETAG
Oct 12-13, 2018
Hilton, Bellevue WA
This year's theme is Innovation & Equity. Keynote speakers include Lisa Van Gemert, the Gifted Guru, and Dr. Kristina Henry Collins, President-Elect of SENGifted. 
Register Here

Putting together the Puzzle of a Gifted Family
Assessing Gifted Intensities, Addressing Ongoing Conflicts, Applying Creative Strategies
November 3, 2018
9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Phinney Ridge Center
6532 Phinney Avenue North
Room 31
Seattle, WA 98103
Facilitators: Anne van Roden and Gloria Sandford - both experienced parents of gifted children and licensed mental health professionals.
Purpose: Come join us for an interactive and inspiring workshop where you will learn key tools to help your gifted family thrive. This full-day workshop will apply SENG concepts at a deeper level focusing on the whole family. Specific tools include: 1) measuring certain gifted traits in family members, 2) examining how different patterns can cause ongoing conflicts and misunderstandings and 3) identifying some strategies to help address those challenges. Participants will leave with uniquely crafted strategies to help their family live together in a more cohesive and harmonious manner.
Register Here

SENG Parent Discussion Groups
SENG Model Parent Groups (SMPGs) bring individuals and families together to discuss the challenges associated with raising a gifted child. The facilitators of these groups, though knowledgeable about parenting and gifted education, do not attempt to give advice. Instead their facilitation provides a non-judgmental and nurturing atmosphere for individuals and families to exchange ideas. Hosted by certified facilitators, discussion topics include issues like motivation, discipline, stress management, peer relationships and more. The groups meet weekly for approximately 8-10 weeks.
 
For more information or to get connected with a group, follow the links below. Many will have new groups forming in the fall:
- General SMPG Information
- Bellevue SMGP
- Everett/Snohomish/Lake Stevens/Marysville SMPGs
- Seattle SMPG
- Spokane SMPG
- Tacoma SMPG
- Washougal SMPG
- Woodinville SMPG (New group starting in September)

Know a great event or speaker coming to town? 
We're always happy to spread the word!  Email us

Resources
Understanding Giftedness (video)
This video explains how to apply the theories of Asynchronous Development and Overexcitabilities to your family members using clinical examples. It is $4.99 for a 30 day rental. More information here.

Opportunities for Your Student

AoPS Academy (Bellevue)
The Art of Problem Solving has recently opened the new Bellevue Academy campus, just in time for the new school year! AoPS after school courses provide challenging material for math and language arts students, from grade 2 to high school. 
AoPS also offers world-class math competition preparation courses, helpful for contests such as Math Kangaroo, AIME, MATHCOUNTS, and mathematical Olympiads. Students ready for Prealgebra and above can take competition courses at the campus, or online at AoPS.com, The free Alcumus platform is a great tool to help study, or for math enrichment. 
Elementary school students can take after school courses at the academy, or try Beast Academy Online so kids can learn math through a fun gaming experience. 
Please check the course catalog for information. Use this application to have your student considered for admission. 

Athena's Advanced Academy (Online)
Deborah Simon, our Homeschooling & Alternative Education Chair, is teaching upper level English classes (including AP® English Literature) to gifted students online. Find these and other online classes built specifically for gifted students at Athena's Advanced Academy. 

Online G3  (Online)
Smart classes for Smart Kids. Online G3 nurtures critical and creative thinking in a diverse community of gifted learners providing a supportive and flexible online learning environment. By pairing passionate teachers with engaging and interactive academic content, G3 offers appropriate acceleration within an accredited, secular, and affordable education program. Check out their courses and their free informational webinars on August 8 & 9. 

Gifted Homeschoolers Forum (Online)
GHF Online offers original curriculum designed by the instructors who teach it. Registration is now open. Check out classes like "Newton at the Center," "Historical Geology" and "Journalism for Teens." Get the full list of online classes.

Saturday Enrichment Classes at University of Washington (Seattle)
The Saturday Program is an enrichment program offered by the Robinson Center for Young Scholars for students currently in grades K-8. These classes are intended to provide intellectually ambitious students with challenge, inspiration, and fun, in a collaborative, supportive learning environment. Our classes are not intended to move students ahead in the standard curriculum but rather to explore topics not usually covered in the K-8 classroom. Classes meet for one or two hours per week on Saturdays, for eight sessions each quarter; we do not run Saturday Program in the summer. Classes are held on the UW Campus, in Loew Hall. Students may only register for classes offered to their corresponding grade level and may select as many classes as preferred as long as the class times don't overlap. There will be no homework, though optional activities may provided for outside of class. Fall class information will be posted soon. Please check the site and mark your calendar for September 17th to for registration. More Information

Career Opportunities

AoPS Bellevue has opportunities for instructors
AoPS is looking for a Mathematics instructor, a Language Arts Instructor and an Assistant Campus Director. For more information, please read the job descriptions. 

Social Media

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ArticlesA Better Way to Teach the Gifted-and Everyone ElseFor many gifted students, the school day is a snooze-fest. Seven in 10 public school teachers agree that "too often, the brightest students are bored and under-challenged in school," according to a 2008 study from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. The problem? Most schools force teachers to adhere to a single lesson plan designed for the median student. When teachers deviate from their lesson plans, it is usually to make content more accessible for students who are under performing. Gifted students complete their assignments easily and wait for additional stimulation that never comes. 
Read the Complete Article Here

How to spot a child geniusThe notion of "gifted" children is a hotly debated one. For every story of a 10-year-old going to Oxford there's another about the grave effects of being isolated from your peers - not to mention the impact on self-esteem of those deemed merely "normal". However, new research shows that the biggest question is not whether being a little genius makes you happy - but how to identify gifted children in the first place.
Read the Complete Article Here

America's Gifted Programming May be a Facade
Fordham's recent report, Is There a Gifted Gap?, examines income- and race-based differences in gifted programming in American schools and unearths plenty of bad news. Students in low-poverty schools are more than twice as likely to participate in gifted programs than their peers at high-poverty schools, for example, and even when black and Hispanic K-8 students attend schools that offer such programs, they participate at much lower rates than white and Asian children.
Read the Complete Article Here

How and why to search for young Einsteins
Every year in Singapore 1% of pupils in the third year of primary school bring home an envelope headed "On government service". Inside is an invitation to the city-state's Gifted Education Programme. To receive the overture, pupils must ace tests in maths, English and "general ability". If their parents accept the offer, the children are taught using a special curriculum. Singapore's approach is emblematic of the traditional form of "gifted" education, one that uses intelligence tests with strict thresholds to identify children with seemingly innate ability. Yet in many countries it is being overhauled in two main ways. 
Read the Complete Article Here

Northwest Gifted Child Association |  [email protected] | http://www.nwgca.org/